Masquerade
by vcbxnzm21
Summary: When Ginny convinces her bookworm roommate Hermione to go to a Masquerade Halloween Party the last thing the normally studious girl expected to find was a man who could flip her whole world upside down in a single glance. College AU! Written for the Quidditch comp finals round 1!


**AN: Yay! New story! So, this is my entry for the Quidditch comp finals round 1! I hope that y'all enjoy it! **

**It actually took me a long time to think of this. The quote I had to use had something to do with nail polish and gowns and it just kinda threw me for a loop when trying to write a Harry Potter story. But then I was watching the Royal Albert Hall version of Phantom of the Opera (my all time fav musical (and I've seen a lot)), on Netflix and this just kinda came to me. **

**Anywho I hope you like it and please review! I'd really love to know what you think about this!**

**Also this is a college/university AU in case you didn't catch that before!**

"Come on Hermione," Ginny whined from her place sprawled across her roommate's bed.

Hermione looked up from her criminal and law textbook to regard the redhead. "No Ginny. I already told you that I have to stay in and study."

"Pleeeeeease," Ginny begged as she sat up. She looked at Hermione with the best puppy dog eyes that she could pull off. She had been bugging her best friend about going to the Masquerade All Hollow's Eve Ball that one of the boy's dorms had arranged off campus for the past weeks, when the party was announced. But the bookworm was having none of it and the party was now only a week away.

"No," Hermione repeated crossing her arms.

"But Mione, I think Harry is gonna ask me and I don't him to be the only person there that I know," Ginny said before jutting out her bottom lip in a childlike pout. She had perfected the look after years of using it on her older brothers.

The bookworm only rolled her eyes before saying, "Not my problem Gin."

Ginny let out a huff and folded her arms. Hermione rolled her eyes again as she turned back to her work. Hermione became so engrossed in her notes that she missed the sly smirk slowly spreading across her roommate's mouth.

Hermione and Ginny had been friends since they meet in grade school. Hermione was a year ahead of Ginny and had become friends with the redhead's older brother Ron, before the two girls officially became friends. But they grew close quickly, both being fed up with being the girl in their family.

But having known Hermione as long as she had, Ginny knew exactly how to get her studious best friend to agree to go to the party.

"You know," the younger girl said as innocently as she could. Hermione's pencil ever stopped moving across her notebook. "I think I remember Harry saying something about Ron going."

Hermione paused mid sentence in her notes, but didn't do anything else to let Ginny know that she was listening.

The redhead smirked, knowing about Hermione's secret crush on her brother. She sat in silence, practically seeing the wheels in her best friend's head turning.

Hermione finally looked at her roommate. "Fine, I'll go to the stupid party." Ginny let out a squeal of delight. "But," the older girl said cutting off the high pitched sound. "It'll only be for a few hours."

"Fine," Ginny agreed, pleased that she actually got her friend to agree to go out.

"And I get to decide my costume," Hermione quickly added, knowing just how Ginny would dress her if given the choice.

"But…but," Ginny started. Hermione gave her a hard look and raised one of her eyebrows in a silent dare. "Can I at least help?"

"Fine," the bookworm agreed after a pause. Ginny let out another squeal and started to talk animatedly about costume ideas.

Her best friend tuned her out. By now, Hermione was so used to the chatter that she knew just how to ignore the younger girl. The older girl turned back to her homework, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth as she tried to focus on studying.

~~ A WEEK LATER ~~

Hermione stared at herself in the mirror. Ginny was moving around her, doing last minute touches to the bookworm's hair and makeup.

"You look amazing Hermione," Ginny told her friend as their eyes met in the mirror. "Angelic even."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the terrible pun before shifting in place. She tugged the white, strapless dress up for what seemed like the hundredth time since Ginny had made her put it on. It was a floor length gown that hugged her body. Jewels made a pattern where the fabric met at the center of her chest. Two pieces of fabric draped away starting at the jewels and flowing outward. The older girl pulled on the straps of the wings that were jutting out from between her shoulder blades. The tips of the angel wings just lightly brushed the ground as she walked.

"Stop fidgeting," Ginny scolded her as she moved to stand in front of her friend. The redhead tied the white metal mask around Hermione's head. The intricate white swirls framed her eyes perfectly and more jewels tied the mask to the dress. "Beautiful," Ginny said grinning.

Hermione looked in the mirror again, hardly believing what she saw. The bookworm hated to admit it, Ginny was right. She did look beautiful. The full effect of her costume was a little overwhelming.

"See," the younger girl said as she grabbed the last parts to her costume. Being the Queen of Hearts was a lot of work! She grabbed her black wire crown that had red gem hearts and put it on. Next she grabbed her black and red mask that was decorated with swirls and hearts. She then slipped on her black heels before she went to stand beside her best friend. "I told you that this good idea."

Hermione rolled her eyes as there was a knock on the door. Ginny grinned at Hermione one last time before going to open the door. Harry was standing there with Luna Lovegood on one side and Ron on the other. Ginny smiled brightly at them until she saw the bimbo hanging off her older brother's arm.

Ginny's nose wrinkled in obvious distaste for her brother's date as Hermione came to the door.

"Wow Hermione," Harry said looking over his other best friend.

The bookworm did the same to the group outside the door. Harry was dressed as a knight with little specks of red decorating his costume. Hermione had to hide a small giggle as she realized that Harry and Ginny actually coordinated. Her eyes moved to Luna next, who was dressed as an elegant teal peacock. She had obviously put much more work into her costume that the older girl had. Next Hermione looked at Ron and Lavender Brown. Ron was Inigo Montoya from the Princess Bride while Lavender was an Ice Queen.

"Are you ready to go?" Harry finally asked looking between Ginny and Hermione.

"I think so," Hermione replied with a fake smile. She was hurt that Ron had decided to bring Lavender along, but she wasn't about to let it ruin her night. Besides, it wasn't like she could ditch out now and she already had the costume on.

Ginny grabbed Harry's hand and linked arms with Hermione, effectively pulling the older girl from the dorm. Hermione rolled her eyes but let herself be dragged along.

The group chatted the entire way to the pub where the party was being held. None of them had been to The Great Hall before, but they found it with ease.

The outside looked like a large abandoned warehouse, but on the inside it was much different. The bar had high vaulted ceiling with a night sky painted on it. The room it was dimly lit, the only light being candles that were nestled into almost every nook and cranny as well as hanging from the ceiling and sitting on tables. The entire room had a romantic yet haunting atmosphere.

"Wow," Ginny said looking around the bar. If even the firey redhead as stunned into almost silence, well then the place really was amazing.

Music with a pounding bass blared from speakers hidden around the entire room. Students littered the room. Some were dancing on the large open space in the center of the hall while others stood around table covered in black table clothes sipping drinks.

"Let's dance!" Ginny cried pulling Harry to the dance floor. Ron and Lavender followed the other couple to the floor.

Hermione let out a small sigh and glanced around the room trying to see if she could make out anyone she knew. But the masks and the dark proved it to be a difficult task. Luna wandered over to an empty table, a dreamy look in her eyes. Hermione shook her head at the girl before looking around again. She finally resigned herself to a table surrounded by two male jesters, a female black cat, a male zombie, and a female spider.

"Well well well," one of the jesters said as Hermione walked over to the table.

"If it isn't miss bookworm extroadnarie!" the other one replied.

"Don't be rude!" the cat exclaimed hitting the second jester in the chest.

"Oi!" the jester responded giving the cat a slightly hurt look. "I just thought that it was a miracle that Hermione actually got out for once!"

Hermione rolled her eyes as she recognized the voice. "I am standing right here you know."

"And doesn't she look angelic?" the first jester piped up.

The bookworm crossed her arms as she said, "Now I know where Ginny gets all her bad jokes from."

The zombie burst out laughing and Hermione smirked. She glanced between Fred and George, the jesters and Ginny's prank loving older brothers, before studying the other faces hidden behind masks.

She quickly picked out that the zombie was the twin's best friend Lee Jordan, before realizing the cat was their good friend Katie Bell and the spider was Alicia Spinnent.

The group chatted for a few minutes before Hermione politely excused herself. There was a limited time that she could actually handle the twins. Although they made her laugh, their pranks and jokes could get a bit out of hand at times.

Hermione started to wander the room then, peering at masked faces trying to pick out someone familiar. She spotted Padma and Parvati Patil at another table with Hannah Abbot. The bookworm let out a sigh of relief realizing that there were actually people here that she knew. She made her way over to the table smiling.

"You know, I don't think this gown and nail polish really go together," Hermione heard one of the Patil twins say as she neared the table. She saw that Padma and Parvati were dressed as the sun and moon while Hannah was a butterfly.

"Hermione?" Hannah asked looking from the twins to the angel approaching the table.

"You look amazing!" Padma said.

"Truly gorgeous!" Parvati chimed in.

Hermione smiled shyly at them before sitting down next to Hannah. "Thanks," she said looking at the table top to hide her flaming face. While she didn't have low self-esteem, the bookworm didn't believe that she deserved all the compliments that she was getting.

The girls chatted for a while before two guys walked up to the table. One was dressed as a pirate while the other was dressed as Batman.

"Would you ladies like to dance?" Batman, who Hermione recognized as Seamus Finnigan by the heavy Irish accent, asked Padma and Parvati. The pirate, who Hermione guessed was Dean Thomas since one was hardly seen without the other, held out his hand to one of the twins while Seamus held out his hand to the other.

"We'd love to," Padma replied grabbing the offered hand with a giggle and look to her twin.

Hermione and Hannah sighed as they watched the two pairs walk off. Both girls were silent for a bit, taking in the scene around them. The people dancing, the candles flickering, the bass pounding around the room.

"Hermione," Hannah suddenly said nudging Hermione. The bookworm looked at her friend in confusion until she followed the other girl's gaze.

Stormy grey eyes hidden behind a white half face mask were staring at her. Hermione let out a small gasp as their eyes met. The man had slivery blonde hair and was wearing a black shirt and black slacks.

The bookworm ducked her head before shyly looking up again, but the man had gone. Hermione stood and excused herself to Hannah, who giggled, before making her way towards where the man had been standing.

"Would you like to dance?" a deep voice asked from behind her.

Hermione whirled around with another gasp. The man was standing there, his hand outstretched.

"You were staring at me," she said quietly as the pounding song ended and a new, slower song started.

"Well, you are beautiful Angel," the man replied. "Now, would you like to dance?"

Hermione nodded shyly and the man took her hand with a warm smile. "What's your name?" the bookworm asked as the man rested his hand on her hip and she placed her free hand on his shoulder. She felt her face flush and ducked her head as the man led them around the dance floor.

"It's not important."

"I disagree. I believe names are very important."

The man smirked and asked, "And why would you think that Angel?"

"Well, fear of a name only increases fear of thing itself."

"So you fear me?" the man asked confused.

Hermione shook her head and said, "I don't know your name, so how could I fear you?"

The man laughed. The sound was a low, rumbling chuckle that made Hermione's face flush. "You are truly a rare person Angel."

"Rare?"

"And oh so beautiful, both inside and out."

"Then why won't you tell me your name?" the bookworm asked, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion.

The man smiled sadly. "It's because you would run as soon as you knew it. You wouldn't want to know me outside of here."

"Why not?"

"Most people think I'm a monster. A demon. Why would you think any differently?"

"Because I'm an angel."

The man laughed. "And while I do believe that, it still wouldn't change your mind. Not about me, what I've done, who I am."

"Why do you think I'm like everyone else?"

"Do I have any reason to believe different? I've seen you before Angel and trust me, I'm not someone who you would want to be seen with. I'm not good for you."

"Yet we're talking now," Hermione replied looking around them before looking back into his eyes. "And I don't see the world ending."

The man shook his head. "You'll forget me after tonight. A nameless man who hide his face. A demon from Hell who corrupted you for a night, before returning you to Heaven."

Suddenly there was a tap on her shoulder. Hermione looked over to see Harry and Ginny standing there. Her arms fell from the man's as she blushed a bright red.

"Are you ready to go?" Ginny asked raising her eyebrows. "Or do you want to stay a bit longer?"

Hermione glanced back to where the man had been standing, but he was gone. The bookworm nodded her consent as she looked back at her friends, wondering just where her demon could have gone.

~~ A MONTH LATER ~~

Hermione clutched the wrinkled paper to her chest as she walked through campus. She had received it the night after the party and although it was simple, the letter held more meaning than she could ever imagine.

She had found the note sitting outside her dorm room door underneath a white half face mask and a red rose. Hermione knew immediately who it was from as she picked the items up. The mask now sat on her desk while the note got tucked into her favorite notebook that she took everywhere.

Sitting down on the steps outside the library, the place the grey eyed man had set up as their meeting place, the bookworm reread the letter.

_Angel, I'm sorry to have disappeared on you last night, but your friends would not have liked the monster that you had been dancing with. If, in a month's time, you still want to know who I am, meet me at noon on the library steps. With love, your Demon._

Even now the letter made her smile. The man had been haunting both her dreams and her waking thoughts. There was just something about him that made her want to know more about him.

Hermione glanced at her watch, her heart racing. Noon.

A minute passed.

Maybe he was just a few steps away.

Then two.

Maybe he bumped into someone.

Then ten.

Maybe he forgot something.

Then 30.

Maybe he forgot.

Then an hour.

Maybe he didn't want to meet her.

Hermione stood with a sigh, picking up her bag. She quickly stuffed her papers into it, blinking back tears.

This was a mistake. She never should have gotten her hopes up. But there was something different about him. Maybe it was the charm, maybe it was the stormy grey eyes, maybe it was the voice like silk.

But he had stood her up.

Heartbroken, the bookworm hurried down the steps, not paying attention to where she was going but just knowing that she had to leave.

Suddenly her papers went flying and she was knocked to the ground as she ran into another person.

"Sorry," she quickly said, reaching for her papers.

"No," a deep voice said as he helped her pick up her things. "I should be the one apologizing."

Hermione froze. That voice.

"I was late to our date. It seemed like I stood you up, but I was here."

She looked up into stormy grey eyes, heart beating against her ribs.

"I just, I didn't know what to say. A whole month and I was left speechless."

She watched as a blush made its way across the man's face, now that she could actually see all of it.

"I seemed so suave when I was hiding behind a mask, but well, I'm not really like that. And when I saw you sitting here, it was like the first time I had seen you. That's why I picked here, but well, things didn't go exactly as planned. And I wanted to say something, but then I didn't and when I saw you leaving, while I knew that you'd never give me another chance and well, I just built up the confidence to say all this."

Hermione giggled. He was shy. She wasn't being stood up. He did want to meet her.

"How can I ever make it up to you?" he asked as he held her papers out for her to take. Sitting on top was a red rose.

"Well it's going to take a while," Hermione replied taking her things. The man rubbed the back of his neck, standing. He offered his hand to the bookworm and helped her to her feet. His hand was warm against Hermione's and she could feel heat rising to her cheeks. "But you can start with a name."

"Draco, Draco Malfoy."

**AN: Yay for abrupt endings! This also the longest fic I've written for the games... oh my goodness!**

**But now the important part? Thoughts? Did ya love it? Like it? Hate it? I really wanna know so please review! **

**Also, good luck to all other quidditch members out there who are in the finals! And to those who didn't make it, y'all are still fabulous writers!**

**So that's all for now. Please review!**


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